Ohio dealer Rick Ricart predicts auto retailing’s “next revolution” will occur in fixed operations.
It’s never convenient for a motorist when the dashboard’s “check engine” light or the like flashes on, says Rick Ricart, president of the Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus, OH.
Nor is a subsequent repair trip to the dealership service department an exercise in convenience. “It changes people’s plans and schedules,” he says. “Customers have pain points before we even see them.”
So, dealerships should ease the sting, not add to it, Ricart
(below, left) says at an online retailing conference hosted by media consulting firm Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster & Co.
Honda
AIADA represents dealers of what the association calls “international nameplates” such as Honda, which assembles all-new 22 Acura MDX in East Liberty, OH.
Pandemic, New Administration on AIADA’s Radar Stronger auto sales are possible in the second half of 2021, given high U.S. household savings rates, pent-up demand, better availability of new cars and trucks, and increasingly effective vaccine distribution, says 2021 AIADA Chairman Steve Gates.
The COVID-19 pandemic remains front and center on the agenda for the American International Automobile Dealers Assn., followed closely by the association getting to know the new Biden Admin., new legislators and staffers in Washington, and vice versa.
Battling COVID-19 Tops NADA’s Priorities, New CEO Says “The mission at NADA stays the same,” Stanton says. “We work for the dealer. We’re here to strengthen the franchise system, to help educate and advocate for the dealer business.”
Mike Stanton, the recently appointed president and CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Assn., lists a couple of priorities Thursday in his first major speech at the NADA Convention & Expo.
No.1 continues to be the COVID-19 pandemic. One of NADA’s biggest achievements in 2020 was getting dealerships declared “essential” businesses in the early days of the pandemic, allowing service and parts departments to stay open, even if showrooms had to close temporarily in many states.
The eLEND Solutions report says challenges with implementing digital retail sales processes may reduce their benefits.
A report from digital financing provider eLEND Solutions reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled dealers to embrace digital retailing as a low-touch transaction alternative – and how this adoption of technology has changed traditional dealer processes and perceptions.
The report, “The Pandemic Drove a Great Leap Forward in Digital Retailing Adoption,” was released to coincide with the start of the National Automobile Dealers Assn. s online annual convention. It is based on a survey of auto dealers in the fourth quarter of 2020. It explores the shift in dealer acceptance and application of digital retailing, while also investigating whether this forced innovation has been a blessing – or curse – for dealers.